I am getting tired of the wind blast from riding my "naked" GL1000. Bought a Vetter Windjammer III fairing. It came with a short length of wire harness and its mounting bracket (which was from another GL1000). I also bought some Gaitors for the fork tubes. Question: Before I start the fairing installation is there anything I should be anticipating to avoid a glitch?I'm thinking I will just remove the headlight, drop the front wheel and remove the fork tubes (and remove the turn signals) and slip on the Gaitors, replace the fork tubes and start the Vetter project. Any tips are welcome.

Good morning. You're on the right track. To protect the paint on the frame downtubes, I wrapped my frame with a layer or two of black electrical tape where the brackets and clamps go. When you have the front fork tubes off, you might consider changing the fork oil, and while in there, think about inserting some spacers over the tops of the springs to stiffen them up a little to 'support' the added front end weight. The best solution of course is to install slightly heavier springs.

BTW: the area inside the fairing, waaay up front by the headlight, is a dandy storage space for seldom used items like a spare headlight bulb, etc.

Thank you. I've only worked on my Silverwing's fork tubes, but I assume the Goldwing fork tubes are similar. The PO told me that "everything" was recently worked on and refreshed, and he went down a list from front to back. I bought the machine on faith that I heard the truth. As I have been comparing the bike's components to the factory manual and making some changes to restore it to OEM specifications I've discovered item after item out of spec. Really disappointing. I'll probably be on this forum in the future asking a bunch of questions. I'm always grateful for people like yourself who have more knowledge and are willing to pass it on. Regards,Bill

I'm installing a Vetter on my '77. It's basically a straightforward install, except that you will need to remove the radiator to place the mounting bracket. This is a great time to go over the cooling system, especially since you seem to be developing concerns about what is right with the bike. I pretty much replaced everything while it was apart and took the radiator inside and flushed it out in the slop sink.

If you need original info on installing the fairing, free pdf copies of the installation manuals are available at Craig Vetter's web site, along with a smaller than I'd like selection of restoration parts. You will be able to save them to your 'puter.

Also, thanks wjnfirearms. I took your tip and downloaded the Vetter fairing pdf's. Very worthwhile info. Are you certain I have to remove the radiator? Appearances made me think I could just remove the air scoops along the right and left sides to get the room needed? Well, I'll read the Vetter instructions you suggested and try to follow them. Thank you again.Regards,Bill

I just replaced mine along with the mount. The old mount had one of the front holes actually melt off from the fire! It was very easy to do! I had to replace the handlebars and all the wires and switches too! I took it to put gas in it today because the temp soared to 41!